Hope and Healing for Hurting Marriages

God has the power to restore your marriage.

By Lesli White

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Let Go of Bitterness

A hardened heart can cause a lot of pain. Bitterness should be removed from your heart for a number of reasons. First, bitterness harbors unforgiveness. You may feel justified in your anger. You may think that your spouse doesn’t deserve your forgiveness until he or she straightens out. But when you do this, you are forgetting the mercy that Jesus had for you. Romans 5:8 tells us that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. By God’s grace, He didn’t wait for us to get our acts together before He provided a way for forgiveness. He gave it to us freely even when we didn’t deserve it. Next, bitterness doesn’t give your spouse a chance to repent. If you’ve been holding in your hurt, your spouse may not even know they’ve offended you. Finally, bitterness spreads. One thread of bitterness can start to spread throughout your heart and contaminate your whole body. None of these things are good for your marriage.